Garment hanger



Nav. 3, 1942. L D; McosKER 2,300,797

GARMENT HANGER Filed Oct. l5, 1940 Patented Nov. 3, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT" ()l;'fl:'l Cl'.y I I 2,300,797. l e

` Y GARMENT HANGER` n Joseph D. McOsker, Allston, Mass. *A ApplicationaOctober 15, 1940,- Serial No. 361,303 y Y Y 1 Claim. Thisinvention relates to improvements in gar- `ment hangers, being adapted especially to the purpose of supporting trousers in a hanging position. In this respect attention is directed to applicants own patent for a `trousers hanger dated Nov. 19, 1940, No. 2,222,232, of which hanger the instant invention is an improvement.

As is to be observed herein, the trousers hanger includes as an important part of its construction a pair of bottom members which are located beneath a slidable cross or clamping bar, said bottom members being resilient in nature, and initially tilted upwardly toward the clamping bar so that when the weight of `the trousers is imposed thereon they will flex back into line with the clamping bar to insure an even tension and rm grip upon the trousers. With this preliminary statement in mind the objects of the invention are as follow:

First, to provide a trousers hanger which `may either consist of an all-wire frame or may comprise an auxiliary to a coat hanger of conventional form, said trousers hanger including a pair of sides each with an inwardly directed terminal member over which a cross or clamping bar is superimposed, said terminals being directed inwardly and upwardlyvv in respect to the cross bar so as to be subject lto flexure into parallelism with the cross bar when the weight of the trousers is imposed upon said terminals.

Second, to provide a trousers hanger which is exible virtually throughout its entire construcl vtion so that it will readjust itself to the trousers and adapt itself to the weight thereof so that the holding function can be performed by imposing an even tension upon those portions of the trousers that are held in the hanger and so secure a rm grip thereon.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the trousers hanger.

Figure 2 is a plan view thereof.

Figure 3 is a side elevation illustrating the use of the trousers hanger, from which the function of theinitially outwardly tilted bottom members is to be observed plainly.

Figure 4 is an end view of the trousers hanger.

Figure 5 is a cross section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Figure 6 is a side elevation of a composite coat and trousers hanger.

In carrying out the invention provision is made modifications in Figs. 1 and 6. rThe frame'is herein regardedgas the entire hanger assemblage insofar as its support of the trousers 2 is concerned. The frame I in each of Figs. 1 to 5 is exible throughout because of being `bent up from wire stock, but in Fig.'6 this total flexibility is lessened to some extent because of the rigid attachment at 3 of portionsy of the frame to the ends 4 of a common woodenlcoat hanger 5.

Referring now to Fig. 1 it is to be observed that the previously mentioned wire stock Lis bent upon itself at a place substantially midway of a previously adopted length of such stock to compose a hook 6. The obvious purpose of this hook is to enable the suspension of the trousers hanger from a nail driven into a, Wall or clothes rod in a closet. Said hook branches 01T into a top cross bar 1. which is bent `down to compose a pair of sides 8. y or substantially so.

YThey have terminals 9 which are herein known as bottom members inasmuch as they underlie a cross or clamp bar I0. This bar is usually made of wood, although it may be made of other chosen material. Itis connected at II to the respective sides 8 at each of its ends for free sliding movement longitudinally of said'sides. One of. the ways of accomplishing this purpose is to'slot the ends of the bar I0 as at I2, each slot being fairly deep so as to insure the utmost freedom of movement of the clamping bar even if the latter should be distorted in its position between the sides 8. The end of each slot I2 is closed by a pin I3 which is driven across, but it is desired to state here that the particular mode of connection Y at I I is not always necessarily adhered to because v 8 in some other and equivalent improved f of a frame I which is so designated in each of the the cross bar can be made to slide on the sides manner.

The important phase of the invention lies in the relationship of the bottom members 9 to the cross bar I0. These members are` bent at I 4 in directions inwardly of the sides 8, andk in doing the bending said members 9 are given a noticeable upward tilt. Said members stop short of each other so as to define a substantially central opening I5. This opening accommodates the bulk of the trousers seams I6 (Fig. 3). 'I'he tips or virtual extremities I'I of the bottom members 9 are curved over into the downward direction to avoid the possible injury of the trousers fabric which might occur by the digging in of the ends of said members were they not bent down.

It is upon the curved extremities I'I that the cross bar I0 rests in the initial position of the trousers hanger, that is to say when the hanger These sides are parallel to each other is idle as in Fig. 1 insofar as supporting the trousers is concerned. The trousers are applied around the cross bar l0 (Fig. 4) and over the bottom members 9. Here it is to be observed that the frame l is composed of flat wire, and in order to match this cross sectional coniiguration the otherwise cross sectionally round clamping bar I0 is iiattened at I8 to match. This construction tends to minimize the creasing of the trousers crosswise, and in practice the wire of the frame is plated so as to avoid any possibility of rust marking the cloth.

All that has been stated with reference to the hanger in Figs. 1 to 5 applies to the construction in Fig. 6. The only exception is that "here the frame I is slightly less resilient than Vthe same frame in Fig. 1 because the topl cross bar in the latter is now omitted as is also the integral hook 6. l 1

In place of these elements the sides 8 (Fig. 6) are terminated in flanges I9 which are attached to the coat hanger 5 as already stated.. The coat hanger has the usual hook' 20 `by which it is hung up.

Thefoperation is readily understood. It has been explained that the bottoms of the trousers are curled around the cross bar IIJ (Fig.` 5) and over the bottom members 9. This forms a convenient interlock which adequately supports the trousers in the suspended position. The bottom members-9 are initially tilted upwardly toward the cross bar but when the weight of the trousers is imposed upon them said bottom members straighten outV (Fig.l 3) into a line parallel with the cross bar I, This insures an even tension and a rm gripupon the trousers. It is to be understood that one ofthe fundamental intentions herein is to employ an all-wire frame (Fig. l) or nearly so (Fig. 6) with n-bent-terminals of a pair of sides to constitute bottomsupporting members. If these members were initially at right angles to the pair of sides it follows that the weight of the trousers would bend the extremities on the bottom members down and thus confine the clam-ping action virtually to the remote parts 0f the hangerfadjacent to the sides 8. l'I'hetrousers lwould thus be supported inadequately in the central region with the result that puckers would show up because of the uneven tension.

These faults are avoided by the upward tilt of the inwardly directed bottom members, and the function of these members operates as well in the composite form o the hanger in Fig. 6 as it does with the form in Fig. 1. The chief exception is that in Fig. 1 the frame is flexible throughout, providing for some bending at each of the corners 2|, as well as in the region 22 of mergence of the hook with the top cross bar 1.

VSince the important aspect of the invention occurs in the upward tilt of the bottom members 9,'it is relatively unimportant that the frame l may be capable of flexure in its upper reaches as in Fig. 1, which function is denied by the construction in Fig. 6.

In conclusion it is desired to state that the flattened construction at the points of contact lof the bottommembers and bar ID -with the trousers eliminatesthe necessity of pads at these points or other means of either lessening the formation of creases or obtaining a firm grip on the fabric.

I claim:

A trousers hanger comprising a frame of fiat wire including a pair of sides, a clamping bar connected at its ends to the respective sides for free sliding longitudinally of said.sides, a. pair of bottom supporting members located beneath the clamping bar, said members constituting terminals of the sides, being directed inwardly of saidsides, tilted upwardly against the bottoni. of the clamping bar and stopping short of eachother to define a medial opening for the trousers seams, the free end of each bottom member being curveddownwardly and engaging the clamping bar with a single point contactfor supporting the clamping bar in elevated relation thereto and adapted to ex .downwardly in parallel relation to the clamping 'bar when trousers are placed thereon, said clamping bar being-flat across the bottom to match the at cross-sectional contour of the supporting members at the contact points.

' JOSEPH D. MCOSKER. 

